Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter

Subject: Borer Maybe? Geographic location of the bug: Los Angeles Date: 04/15/2019 Time: 04:33 PM EDT Your letter to the bugman: Can anyone tell me what this bug is called and how to get rid of it? It’s super fast and skirts across branches to dodge you when you try to get a good look. It also sits on the tree and drips piss or something constantly so it looks like mist falling down. I’m pretty sure these things are killing a tree I planted recently. How you want your letter signed: JV

Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter

Dear JV, This is not a Borer. This appears to be a Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter, Homalodisca vitripennis, an invasive species that feeds by sucking fluids from plants. Though large infestations might cause twigs to wilt or wither, there is a bigger threat of diseases spread by Sharpshooters. According to BugGuide: “A major vector of Pierce’s disease on grape. Usually not a serious pest within its native range, southeastern US. This species was accidentally introduced into so. California in the early 1990s, probably with ornamental or agricultural stock. There, it has become a serious threat to viticulture.”